Scott Donahue-Martens teaches classes ranging from Homiletics to the Hebrew Bible.Brandon Simonson is instructor of Biblical Studies at Boston University School of Theology and adjunct lecturer in the Department of Religious and Theological Studies at Merrimack College.

The boundary between tabletop roleplaying and religious ritual has always been thin. This volume explores the connections between the two, tracing the religious influences on D&D and illustrating how imaginative quests can shape players morally and spiritually. Since the essays do not presume prior familiarity with D&D or religion, readers who don’t know a natural twenty from natural theology will still learn something worthwhile about ethics, mythology, and collaborative creativity.

• ForewordDerek W. WhitePrefaceAcknowledgementsList of AbbreviationsIntroduction: On Dungeons & Dragons, Fantasy, Religion, and TheologyBrandon Simonson and Scott Donahue-MartensPart One: Perception & PerformanceChapter One: Healing Words: D&D Magic, Speech-Act Theory, and ChaplaincyScott Donahue-MartensChapter Two: Roll for Discernment: Dungeon Master as St. Ignatius’ Spiritual DirectorSusan HaarmanChapter Three: From Redemption Arcs to Making Your Own God: Redemption and Authenticity in Critical Role and Dimension 20Michael Buttrey and Leah DeJongChapter Four: Role-play, Spiritual Formation, and Theological EducationFred E. Webster, Jr. and Thomas G. Hermans-WebsterPart Two: Heroes & HistoryChapter Five: Canon in Dungeons & Dragons: Insight from Ancient JudaismScott Donahue-Martens and Brandon SimonsonChapter Six: The Harrowing of Avernus: Delving into Hell from Antiquity to Dungeons & DragonsAndrew J. O’ConnorChapter Seven: The Role and Function of Religious Names in the Creative World of Dungeons & DragonsBrandon SimonsonChapter Eight: Tolkien’s Shadow: The Sub-Creating Influence of Middle Earth on Dungeons & DragonsScott Donahue-MartensPart Three: Adventures & AlignmentChapter Nine: Abandon All Hope and Roll for Initiative: Reading Dante into Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into AvernusVictoria HawcoChapter Ten: The Gilded Gothic Cages: Corruption, Judgment, and Moral Development in Ravenloft’s Domains of DreadMartine Gjermundsen RæstadChapter Eleven: “Does Anyone Here Eat Elf?” Ecotheology in the Dark Sun Campaign Setting Daniel Ambord Chapter Twelve: A Chaotic-Historical Reflection on Alignment in Dungeons & DragonsNathan P. GilmourEpilogueAbout the Editors and Contributors

Scott Donahue-Martens teaches classes ranging from Homiletics to the Hebrew Bible.Brandon Simonson is instructor of Biblical Studies at Boston University School of Theology and adjunct lecturer in the Department of Religious and Theological Studies at Merrimack College.

The boundary between tabletop roleplaying and religious ritual has always been thin. This volume explores the connections between the two, tracing the religious influences on D&D and illustrating how imaginative quests can shape players morally and spiritually. Since the essays do not presume prior familiarity with D&D or religion, readers who don’t know a natural twenty from natural theology will still learn something worthwhile about ethics, mythology, and collaborative creativity.

• ForewordDerek W. WhitePrefaceAcknowledgementsList of AbbreviationsIntroduction: On Dungeons & Dragons, Fantasy, Religion, and TheologyBrandon Simonson and Scott Donahue-MartensPart One: Perception & PerformanceChapter One: Healing Words: D&D Magic, Speech-Act Theory, and ChaplaincyScott Donahue-MartensChapter Two: Roll for Discernment: Dungeon Master as St. Ignatius’ Spiritual DirectorSusan HaarmanChapter Three: From Redemption Arcs to Making Your Own God: Redemption and Authenticity in Critical Role and Dimension 20Michael Buttrey and Leah DeJongChapter Four: Role-play, Spiritual Formation, and Theological EducationFred E. Webster, Jr. and Thomas G. Hermans-WebsterPart Two: Heroes & HistoryChapter Five: Canon in Dungeons & Dragons: Insight from Ancient JudaismScott Donahue-Martens and Brandon SimonsonChapter Six: The Harrowing of Avernus: Delving into Hell from Antiquity to Dungeons & DragonsAndrew J. O’ConnorChapter Seven: The Role and Function of Religious Names in the Creative World of Dungeons & DragonsBrandon SimonsonChapter Eight: Tolkien’s Shadow: The Sub-Creating Influence of Middle Earth on Dungeons & DragonsScott Donahue-MartensPart Three: Adventures & AlignmentChapter Nine: Abandon All Hope and Roll for Initiative: Reading Dante into Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into AvernusVictoria HawcoChapter Ten: The Gilded Gothic Cages: Corruption, Judgment, and Moral Development in Ravenloft’s Domains of DreadMartine Gjermundsen RæstadChapter Eleven: “Does Anyone Here Eat Elf?” Ecotheology in the Dark Sun Campaign Setting Daniel Ambord Chapter Twelve: A Chaotic-Historical Reflection on Alignment in Dungeons & DragonsNathan P. GilmourEpilogueAbout the Editors and Contributors

Scott Donahue-Martens teaches classes ranging from Homiletics to the Hebrew Bible.Brandon Simonson is instructor of Biblical Studies at Boston University School of Theology and adjunct lecturer in the Department of Religious and Theological Studies at Merrimack College.

The boundary between tabletop roleplaying and religious ritual has always been thin. This volume explores the connections between the two, tracing the religious influences on D&D and illustrating how imaginative quests can shape players morally and spiritually. Since the essays do not presume prior familiarity with D&D or religion, readers who don’t know a natural twenty from natural theology will still learn something worthwhile about ethics, mythology, and collaborative creativity.

• ForewordDerek W. WhitePrefaceAcknowledgementsList of AbbreviationsIntroduction: On Dungeons & Dragons, Fantasy, Religion, and TheologyBrandon Simonson and Scott Donahue-MartensPart One: Perception & PerformanceChapter One: Healing Words: D&D Magic, Speech-Act Theory, and ChaplaincyScott Donahue-MartensChapter Two: Roll for Discernment: Dungeon Master as St. Ignatius’ Spiritual DirectorSusan HaarmanChapter Three: From Redemption Arcs to Making Your Own God: Redemption and Authenticity in Critical Role and Dimension 20Michael Buttrey and Leah DeJongChapter Four: Role-play, Spiritual Formation, and Theological EducationFred E. Webster, Jr. and Thomas G. Hermans-WebsterPart Two: Heroes & HistoryChapter Five: Canon in Dungeons & Dragons: Insight from Ancient JudaismScott Donahue-Martens and Brandon SimonsonChapter Six: The Harrowing of Avernus: Delving into Hell from Antiquity to Dungeons & DragonsAndrew J. O’ConnorChapter Seven: The Role and Function of Religious Names in the Creative World of Dungeons & DragonsBrandon SimonsonChapter Eight: Tolkien’s Shadow: The Sub-Creating Influence of Middle Earth on Dungeons & DragonsScott Donahue-MartensPart Three: Adventures & AlignmentChapter Nine: Abandon All Hope and Roll for Initiative: Reading Dante into Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into AvernusVictoria HawcoChapter Ten: The Gilded Gothic Cages: Corruption, Judgment, and Moral Development in Ravenloft’s Domains of DreadMartine Gjermundsen RæstadChapter Eleven: “Does Anyone Here Eat Elf?” Ecotheology in the Dark Sun Campaign Setting Daniel Ambord Chapter Twelve: A Chaotic-Historical Reflection on Alignment in Dungeons & DragonsNathan P. GilmourEpilogueAbout the Editors and Contributors